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Kurama
Yoko Kurama (妖狐蔵馬, lit. Yōko Kurama; in the English dub, Kurama the Yoko), also known as Kurama (蔵馬, Kurama) and Shuichi Minamino (南野･秀一, Minamino Shūichi), is a main character in the anime series YuYu Hakusho. Voiced by Megumi Ogata (Shūichi) and Shigeru Nakahara (Yoko) in the original Japanese and John Burgmeier in the English dub.Wikipedia.Org List of YuYu Hakusho characters, Kurama Appearance In his human form, Kurama has bright green eyes, as well as long and vibrant-red hair, with two segments on either shoulder and the rest on his back. He often wears a reddish-purple jacket and pants. While in this form, he is occasionally mistaken for being a woman. While in his Youko Kurama form, he has golden eyes, prominent silver fox ears, as well as a silver tail and long, silver hair. He wears a toga and martial arts shoes. Personality Kurama is regarded as the calmest member of Team Urameshi. However, his personality changes while in battle. Hiei notes that Kurama is more cutthroat and merciless than he. In contrast, he cares deeply for his friends and family, and will sacrifice his life to protect them. In combat, Kurama prefers to analyze the opponent's fighting style before attacking. However, this usually ends with him being the most seriously injured. In the end, though, Kurama always has a trick up his sleeve to clinch the match. Yoko is depicted as beeing even more cruel than Kurama, however, in his fight with Karasu, it was showed that he had a tendency to play with his enemies in battle. The English dub implies that they are separate entities, thus they refer to each other as such. Yoko is dependent on Kurama, because if either of them dies, so will the other. Kurama later learns to just tap into Yoko's power, rather than completely revert his personality. However in the Japanese version, they share the same soul, despite Kurama's new ruthlessness and change in voice. Character Relationships *'Yusuke Urameshi - Ally' *'Kazuma Kuwabara - Ally' *'Hiei - Ally' *'Shiori Minamino - Mother' History Kurama once lived as a powerful fox demon with the name of Youko. He was mortally wounded in a fight with Spirit World Defense Force and retreated to the Human World. There, he planted his soul into Shiori Minamino's unborn child. He only planned on staying human for ten years to regain his strength, but grew to love his mother, and stayed so he wouldn't hurt her.Yu Yu Hakusho manga; Chapter 22, Page 8 Synopsis Spirit Detective Saga After he, Gouki, and Hiei steal the three artifacts from spirit world, Kurama tells them he must leave their alliance. Hiei is initially furious, and chases after Kurama when he leaves at the sudden appearance of Yusuke. He later shows up when Yusuke defeats Gouki, asking Yusuke for a meeting. Despite Botan's warning, Yusuke agrees to go.Yu Yu Hakusho manga; Chapter 22, Page 4 Kurama takes Yusuke to a hospital, where they meet his mother. Yusuke is confused why a demon could have a human mother, and why he would care so much for her. Kurama explains his past, and his mother's sickness. He feels that he somehow caused it, by putting her through emotion pain. Suddenly, a nurse asks Kurama to come back inside, where his mother's doctor tells him she only has a few hours to live. Kurama activates the artifact, the Forlorn Hope, which would grant him one wish.Yu Yu Hakusho manga; Chapter 22, Page 7 However, this would come at the cost of his life. Yusuke urges him to stop, then asks the mirror to take his life instead. Luckily, the mirror grants the wish without sacrifice because of Yusuke's compassion. Kurama wakes up and quickly leaves to go see if his mother is alright, which she is.Yu Yu Hakusho manga; Chapter 22, Page 18 Hiei battles Yusuke next, and in his Jagan form, nearly kills the Spirit Detective. However, Kurama steps in the path of Hiei's sword, then uses his blood to blind his original third eye, crippling his powers. He then uses his power to stop Keiko from becoming a demon. After a surprsing spirit gun that bounces off the Forlorn Hope, Botan inquires how Yusuke knew to do that. He replies it was spur of the moment thinking, leading Kurama to laugh. When the Saint Beasts infect Human World with Makai insects, Kurama, Hiei, Kuwabara, and Yusuke go to the Demon City to stop them. Kurama faces the beast, Genbu, and unleashes his rose whip technique for the first time. He defeats the beast, only for him to reconstitute his broken body. Kurama feels his energy's center and destroys it, then using the rose whiplash to disperse him. While Yusuke is sent to rescue the ice apparition, Yukina, Kurama is working in spirit world for Koenma. They both worry for Hiei, because Yukina is his sister, and he would surely have killed her kidnapper, getting him arrested. Kurama leaves to find Hiei, and witnesses, for the first time, Hiei sparing his opponent. He then comments that he didnt need to come. Dark Tournament Saga In the preliminaries, Kurama fought the member of Team Rokuyukai, Roto, who threatened to hurt his mother if he did not forfeit. However, Kurama turned the tables by killing him before he could get the chance. Later, against Team Masho, Kurama fought Gama, a demon obsessed with make-up. He manages to win, but Gama's curses laid on Kurama's body keeps him from moving, as well as sealing in his energy. This makes the next match against Toya difficult. The first curse wears off and Kurama is able to move, but Toya has the upper hand because Kurama's energy is still sealed. Last minute, Kurama plants the death seed in his body, which sprouts a plant that nearly kills Toya. The ordeal leaves him unconscious, but still standing, so he is faced against Bakken. He is nearly killed by the demon, but their leader, Risho, stops him from attacking so that Yusuke wouldn't kill him. In a short fight against Ura Urashima, Ura unleashes a box that is supposed to regress his opponent's age to that of a baby. However, the affect differs for Kurama and he is instead turned back into his Yoko form. After Suzuka's defeat, he gives Kurama a potion that would transform him into the form. During the finals, Kurama faces Karasu, whose ability manipulates the intangible world. Kurama had taken the potion a few minutes before the match, so he became Youko and nearly killed Karasu using a plant that could track movement. However, Karasu survives and Kurama returns to normal. Only by making Karasu bleed and then unleashing a blood-thirsty plant is he able to kill Karasu. Chapter Black Saga After the tournament ended, Kurama resumed his normal life, going back to Meiou High School. When Yusuke is kidnapped, a letter tells Botan and Kuwabara to go to Kurama's school and find him so that they may retrieve their friend. After finding Hiei as well, they go to the house where Yusuke was being held only to open the door and find Yuu Kaito waiting for them. When Kuwabara, Hiei, and Botan souls are taken in by Kaito's power of taboo, Kurama is the last shred of hope to defeat Kaito at his game and gain back the souls of his friends. Upon Kurama defeating Kaito by making him laugh, the souls were retrieved and they go up the flight of stairs to find Yusuke. Once it was revealed that Genkai was behind the ruse, it is shown that there is a new threat of a hole to demon world opening. The next day, the group divided into two, with Kurama leading the group looking for the hole at Demon's Door Cave. Upon discovering the underground hole, Kurama then heads back to put the groups together and report it to Koenma. The following day, Kurama does not show up at Yusuke's house because he decides to pay Koenma a visit, believing that he may know more than he's telling their team. When it shows that Kurama's allegations are indeed true, it is then revealed that the leader is Shinobu Sensui, a former Spirit Detective. When Sensui arrives at Yusuke's house to kidnap Kuwabara in order to have Gourmet eat Kuwabara's Dimensional Sword, the group then meets up at Demon's Door Cave. When entering the cave, Amanuma's (Game Master's) power has been activated, making Goblin City true to life. After everyone has taken their turn competing against him, Kurama was the one who had to face Amanuma at the end of the game. It is here that Kurama had no choice but to reveal to Amanuma that Sensui was merely using him to stall for time and it is part of his plan that Amanuma will die. By doing so, Kurama distracted him from performing well in the final level and managed to allow the group to go on to face Sensui, despite the death of Amanuma in the process. Kurama was then riddled with guilt, however faced Gourmet upon reaching the cave. It is then that Kurama uses his Rose Whip to reveal that Elder Toguro had not only survived the Dark Tournament but was eaten by Gourmet and then took over his body. Kurama then uses a smoke screen to not only hide the fact that he had planted the seed of the Sinning Tree on Gourmet (Elder Toguro), but also as a way of spurring the growth of this particular plant. But after Itsuki traps Kurama, Hiei, Mitarai, and Kuwabara within the Uraotoko, a long discussion ensues as they watch Sensui and Yusuke clash. There, Kurama realizes not only the existence of Sensui's other personalities, but also what Yusuke intended to do upon realizing the power of Sensui's Sacred Energy. When Yusuke dies, and Kuwabara finally cuts the Uraotoko open with his newly-realized Dimension Sword, he, as well as Kurama and Hiei, chase Sensui to Demon World. There, at a confrontation upon the Plateau of the Beheaded near the Forest of Fools, the three of them are completely trounced by Sensui's Sacred Energy Armor. After Yusuke's resurrection and arrival in Demon World, all Kurama, Hiei, Kuwabara, and Koenma, can do is watch as the two of them clash. After the battle against Sensui ended, Kurama and the rest of the group return to human world. Three Kings Saga In the Saga of the Three Kings, Kurama is called on by Yomi, his former partner when he was still a thief in Makai. Kurama's internal struggles become more apparent in this saga because of the three different aspects of himself: Kurama, as he is when he fights alongside Yusuke and his companions, Yoko, and the human Shuichi Minamino. At this point, wherein he relives most of his past, his Yoko personality is somewhat predominant, as it seems that he is becoming more and more like his old self, before he came to human world. In moments of duress or battle, Kurama (who had yet to fully suppress his Yoko side) would transform into Yoko. After meeting Yomi, he has apparently improved his strength greatly to lower S levels. However against the mid S-class Shachi, Kurama transforms into his Yoko self and easily overpowers Shachi. Kurama becomes Yomi's new right hand man. After the death of Raizen, Yusuke comes to Yomi's territory with a proposition: a new tournament which will determine the ruler of the whole of Makai. Yomi accepts and the tournament begins. Kurama's team (made up of the surviving members of Teams Masho, Uratogi, and Rokuyokai from the Dark Tournament) qualifies easily in the preliminary round, but after the team faces stronger opponents, each member is defeated one by one. Then, Kurama fights Shigure, "The Demon Surgeon." Though Kurama is in the lower S-class power level, he is no match for Shigure. During a fierce battle, he transforms into an upper S-class Yoko and easily uses super speed to avoid Shigure, but willfully transforms back into his human self, stating that he will not resort to using Yoko. Despite being weaker than Shigure, he is able to cause the large dormant tree they are using as an arena to bloom, having merged it with a cherry tree seed before the fight began. This causes Shigure to lose the match as his weapon gets stripped from him, giving Kurama the win. However, Kurama is unable to continue with the tournament and withdraws due to severe injuries. After his fight with Shigure, he decides to not look to the past for answers, but to the future. With his loyalty to his human mother and his friends, he leaves his Youko lifestyle behind, as he tells Yomi. He decides to return home to live out his human life. After the end of the Makai/Demon World Tournament, Kurama goes back to Ningenkai and gets a job at his stepfather's company. He lives like a normal human being from then on alongside Yusuke, Kuwabara, and his other friends - except for Hiei, who decides to continue living in Makai, according to the anime. In the manga, which deviates after the end of the Makai Tournament, he does not entirely give up the demon world or the detective lifestyle as Yusuke frequently calls on him for help in solving the cases for his Spirit Detective business. There is a severe change of story after the Three Kings Saga, mainly in that not only does the Kekkai Barrier come down, but demons pop up in human world frequently, often appearing on talk shows (Koto, Juri and Ruka from the Dark Tournament are seen being interviewed by a popular TV host). In a bonus OVA he is shown to enter the second Makai Tournament along side Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuawbara. Techniques/Moves *'Rose Whip' (薔薇棘鞭刃 [ローズ･ウイップ], Bara Kyoku Ben Jin ['Rōzu Uippu']'', literally translated as ''Rose Thorn Whip-Blade): Kurama's signature technique, where he uses his demon energy to grow a rose from its seed state to its flowering state and then into a long thorny whip that's capable of cutting even through steel. :*'Rose Whiplash' (華厳裂斬枝, Kagon Retsuzanshi, translated as Flower of Severely-Torn Limbs): Kurama swiftly slashes the whip in multiple directions. *'Rose Whip Thorn Wheel' (風華円舞陣, Fūka Enbu Jin, translated as Breezing Petals Waltz Formation): Kurama draws the Rose Whip and swings it around him in a circle, as rose petals scatter around and stun his opponents, while the wheel created from the whip unleashes cresent-shaped energy blades. :*Also called Petals and Thorns; here, however, a whirlwind of rose petals materializes in the palm of Kurama's hand and then swirl around him. If an opponent/attacker gets within a certain range, the petals attack and rip them to shreds. *'Seed of the Death Plant' (死招き草, Shimaneki Sō, translated as Deathbringer Weed): This is a small seed that Kurama plants in his opponent's body and can be manipulated using his demon energy. After it has had enough time to secure its roots within the victim's body, the seed kills the victim. Only used successfully on Roto during the Dark Tournament, unsuccessfully on Karasu, and as an impromptu blade when fighting Toya. *'Death Tree' (食妖植物, Shoku Yō Shokubutsu, translated as Devourer Demon Plant): This is a carnivorous tree with an acidic saliva that strikes anything that moves. Only used to intimidate Ura urashima during the Dark Tournament. *'Ojigi Plant' (魔界のオジギ草, Makai no Ojigi Sō, translated as Demon Realm Bow Weed): A plant indigenous to South America. When grown with demon energy, it mutates into a creature that responds to movements or heat by closing its leaves around its prey and crushing it to death. Arguably, it can be called the Demon World version of the Mimosa plant. Only used to try and kill Karasu during the Final Round of the Dark Tournament. * Bloodsucking Plant (吸血植物, Kyūketsu Shokubutsu, translated as Blood-Drinking Weed): A special Demon World plant that can attach itself to its victim and drain them of their blood before blossoming into a beautiful, rose-like, flower once it has drained enough blood from its victim. Only used to kill Karasu during the Final Round of the Dark Tournament. *'Lamp Weed' (明る雑草, Akaru Zassō, translated as Bright Weed): Plants that act as markers for Kurama to find his way back. Used during the Chapter Black saga, as the Spirit Detectives make their way down to where the tunnel to Demon World is being opened. *'Sinning Tree' (邪念樹, Janen Jū, translated as Tree of Depravity): The tree responds to the memories of the victims, ensnaring the consciousness of the victim with hallucinations of wickedness, and forces them to replay their fears as it feeds off of its victims' life force, never stopping until its host is dead. If, for some reason, the victim continues to struggle, then the tree will generate extra tendrils in order to restrain its victim as it feeds. Only used once, to trap Elder Toguro for eternity, near where the tunnel to Demon World is being opened. *'Leaf of a Plant' (浮葉科の魔界植物, Fuyōka no Makai Shokubutsu, translated as Floating Leaves from Demon Realm Plant): This plant appears as "wings", similar to that of a butterfly, on Kurama's back that double as a glider. First used to break the descent of Kuwabara's, Hiei's, and his, falls while attempting to avenge Yusuke's death in Demon World. Is used later on to keep him in the air as Yusuke and Sensui clash in Demon World. *'The Binding Fist of the Demonic Vine' (樹霊妖斬拳, Juryō Yōzan Ken, translated as Wood Spirit Demon Beheading Fist): Similar to the Rose Whip in that it is composed of a vine with thorns, but this time it grows around Kurama's arm and is wielded as a sword-like weapon. Used only as an attempt to attack Sensui when they were fighting in Demon World. Anime-Exclusive Techniques *'Okunenju Roots' (憶念･樹･植木, Okunen Ju Ueki, translated as Nostalgia Tree Shrubs): It involves growing a large tree that overran the entire fighting arena. It resembles a cherry tree, reflective of Kurama's memories of climbing the cherry tree in his front yard as a child. Only used against Shigure during the Demon World Tournament. Movie-Exclusive Techniques *'Bamboo Plant': An unnamed technique that first transformed into a spear, and then into an entire forest of pikes that transformed into a bamboo forest. Used by Kurama in the second movie in order to kill an unnamed Netherworld God that impersonated his former partner Kuronue. Manga-Exclusive Techniques *'Pseudo-Creature': Seen only in the manga set after the Demon World Tournament, this parasite merges with its host on the cellular level, instinctively repairing any damage done to the host body. Unless the host's brain is destroyed, the host will stay in a 'half-life' for a very-long time. Its appearance is similar to that of the Sinning Tree, which begs the question of whether or not the two plants are somehow related. :*Hiei gave the slave trader Chikou, Mukuro's childhood abuser, one of these creatures (which Kurama had supplied him with). He then delivered Chikou's incapacitated body to Mukuro, for her to mutilate as she saw fit; a demonic version of therapy, so to speak. *'Parrot Grass': Kurama uses this shrub in order to deceive a group of religious terrorists who had taken the Gates of Judgment hostage and used radio check-ins to make sure nothing was going wrong. References Category:Characters